Apple-quartering machine.



C. KIRINO.

APPLE QUARTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.191s.

1,7,79u Patented Sept. 10,1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

WITNESSES NVENTOH Uha/JasA n'v' 0 By M . ATTORNEYS W45 NORRIS Pzrzns ca,Fxoraurna. WASHJNGTDN. n c.

c. KIRINO.

APPLE QUARTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1918.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918'.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

s 8 a WWW z m WITNESSES A TTORNEYS r mus reruns nu. rnomurn rr s rCHARLES KIRINO, OF OGDEN, UTAH.

APPLEQUARTEBI1\TG MACHINE.

Application filed June 3, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES KIRINO, a subjectof the Emperor of Japan, and a resident of Ogden, in the county of Veberand State of Utah, have invented a new and Im proved Apple-QuarteringMachine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting into quarters or othersizes pared and cored apples for canning.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the constructionand operation of machines of this character so as to be re liable andefficient in use, automatic in its operations, and so designed as tohave a very large output.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a conveyingmeans for the peeled and cored apples, in combination with a series oftraveling tanks so timed in relation to the apple-containing means thatthe apples will dip into the tanks and by floating therein assume aposition with the core passage upright, and from the tanks the applesare conveyed to suitable cutting means whereby the apples are quarteredby cuts coincident with the axis of the core assage.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a plurality oftraveling apple holders or cups each provided with cutting wires, bladesor the like, in combination with traveling plungers which move in timedrelation to the cups so as to periodically register therewith, and bymoving into and out of the cups the plungers force the apples throughthe cutters, whereby the apples are quartered and drop out of the cups.

With such and other objects in view, the invention comprises variousnovel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will beset forth with particularity in the following description and claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention and wherein similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a detail sectional view showing the manner of feeding thepeeled and cored.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Serial No. 237,985.

apples into the cups, the section being taken on the line 4'4, Fig. 2;

Fig, 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55, Fig. 2, showingthe manner of uprighting or straightening the apples by floating them;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the gangs of plungers;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of one type of quartering cutter;

Fig. 8 is a side view of another form of cutter; and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 99, Fig, 8.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the frame of the machine, whichmay be of any desired construction and at one end is provided with afeeder B for the peeled and cored apples which supplies the apples to atraveling conveyer C with which cooperates a tank conveyer D located atthe middle of the machine, and at the opposite end from the feeder B isthe cutting plunger mechanism E.

The feeder B comprises an endless chain 1 which has fastened theretotransverse bars 2 which cooperate with the table or platform 3 toreceive apples from a coring and peeling machine and. convey the applesforwardly to the conveyer C. The chain 1 passes over sprocket wheels 4and 5, the first being fastened to a shaft 6 which has at one end asprocket wheel 7 meshing with a trans mission sprocket chain 8 that inturn meshes with a sprocket wheel 9 on a horizontal shaft 10.

The conveyer C is composed of two endless chains 11 which pass aroundlarge sprocket wheels 12 and 13 at opposite ends of the; machine andaround small sprocket wheels 14 and l i located under the sprocketwheels 12 and 13. These endless chains are provided with a plurality ofsets or gangs of apple -holding cups 15 equally spaced apart. There arethree cups in a set, and at the end of each set is a journal 16 which ispivotally connected to the adjacent chain 11, and on each journal is aroller 17 which rides on a track 18 fastened to the frame A, The uppersection 0 of the track has a dip so that the cups will cooperate withthe tank conveying mechanism D to lower the apples into the tanks, aswill. be hereinafter more fully described. As the apple-carrying cupsare pivoted they maintain a pendent posi tion throughout the cycle oftravel. The end of the conveyer G adjacent the feeder B is so arrangedthat the cups move upwardly at the point 0, so as to meet the applesdropping off the feeder B, the rate of travel of the conveyer being sotimed with the travel of the feeder B that there will always be cupsready to receive the apples as they drop.

Each cup 15 is open at its bottom and is provided with suitable cuttingmeans, such as crossing wires 19 fastened to a ring 20 suitably securedto thebottom of the cup 15; or crossing blades 19 constructed as shownin Figs. 8 and 9 may be employed.

The conveyer C may be driven by power applied to the shaft 21 on whichare arranged the large sprocket wheels 13, and on this shaft is asprocket wheel 22 meshing with a sprocket chain 23 that in turn mesheswith a driving sprocket wheel 24:. The conveyer C is operativelyconnected with the feeder B through the sprocket chain 8, whereby thefeeder is driven.

The apple uprighting or straightening mechanism comprises a plurality oftanks 25 carried by a pair of sprocket chains 26 which ride oversprocket wheels 27 and 28, the sprocket wheels 28 being mounted on ashaft 29 which has a sprocket wheel 30 meshing with a driving sprocketchain 31 that in turn meshes with a sprocket wheel 32 on the shaft 21.Each tank is long enough to receive a gang or set of cups 15, as shownin Fig. 5, and on each end of a tank is a journa'l 33 pivotallyconnected with the adjacent sprocket chain 26 and having a roller 361-which rides on a track 34. The upper flight of the sprocket chains 26 isadjacent to the upper flight of the conveyer chains, and the sprocketwheels 27 are located directly under the lower part of the dip 0 in theupper flight of the conveyer C, so that as a tank moves upwardly aroundthe sprocket wheels 27, a'set of cups 15 with apples therein will movedownwardly and enter the tank, it being understood that the tanks travelat the same rate as the cups of the conveyer C. In this manner theapples become submerged in the water in the tanks 25, as shown in Fig.5, and the apples automatically adjust themselves so that the corepassages will be upright. The tanks and apple-holding cups move togethertoward the right, Fig. 1., and at the sprockets 28 the tanks movedownwardly away from the apples, which latter are moved to a point underthe plunger mechanism E. The plunger mechanism E comprises a pluralityof sets or gangs of plungers 35, the plungers of each set beingconnected with a cross head 36 which has an upwardly extending rod 37slidable in a guideway or tube 38, the latter being fastened to asprocket chain 39 which passes around sprocket wheels 40 and 41.. Eachrod 37 has a roller 42 which rides in a cam groove 43 which has a dropat 14:, so that the plungers when passing through the approximatelysemi-circular drop 14: will move up and down. The plungers are normallyheld above the plane of the cups on the upper flight of the conveyer C,and the sprocket chain 39 is moved at such a rate that a gang ofplungers will register with a gang of cups at the beginning 4&5 of thedrop 441 in the cam groove, and as the gangs of plungers move to theright, Fig. 1, that gang which registers with the gang of cups will bemoved 'mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 47 which has a gearwheel 48 at its bottom meshing with a pinion 49 on a shaft 50 which hasthe sprocket wheel 2%. The shaft 50 may serve as the power shaft of themachine.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operationwill be readily understood by those skilled in'the art to which theinvention a )pertains,and while I have described the principle ofoperation, together with the machine which I now consider to be the bestembodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the machineshown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made whendesired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A machine of the class described comprising a feeder for coredapples, a conveyer having means for receiving apples from the feeder,means associated with the conveyer and in which the apples are submergedwhile traveling with the conveyer, whereby they automatically adjustthemselves with their core passages upright, and means for cutting theapples while in the conveyer;

2. A machine of the class described comprising a traveling holder for acored apple, means moving with the holder and in which the apple issubmerged to cause the core passage to assume a vertical position, andmeans located at a point beyond the firstmentioned means and adjacentthe path of the traveling holder for cutting the apple while the saidpassage is in vertical position;

3. A machine of the class described including a cup-like holder for acored apple, cutting elements in the bottom of the holder, and means forsubmerging the holder in a body of water to cause the apple to assume agiven position, and a plunger movable into the holder for forcing theapple through the cutting elements.

at. A machine of the class described comprising a conveyer having aplurality of cup-like apple holders spaced apart and each holder havingcutting means at its bottom, means in which the holders are submerged tocause the apples automatically to assume a predetermined position, aplurality of plungers movable in timed relation to the conveyer to bringthe holders and plungers periodically into register, means for operatingthe plungers into the holders, and means for moving the plungers intothe holders when in registering position, to force the apples throughthe cutters.

A machine of the class described comprising an endless conveying means,cup-like holders pivotally mounted on the conveying means and open atthe top and bottom, cut ting means at the bottom of each holder, endlesstraveling elements, pivoted tanks on the said elements, and means formoving the tanks in timed relation to the conveying means, whereby theholders on the latter will periodically enter the tanks and leave thesame, and means for entering the holders to force the apples through thecutting means.

6. A machine of the class described comprising an endless feeder forcored apples, an endless conveyer having an upwardly Copies of thispatent may be obtained tor traveling portion adjacent the feeder,cuplike holders spaced apart on the conveyer, cutting means at thebottom of each holder, means for driving the conveyer in timed relationto the feeder, whereby apples from the feeder drop into the cupssuccessively, traveling plungers movable. over the conveyer in suchrelation as to periodically register with the holders, means forsupporting the plungers to reciprocate, and a cam device acting on theplungers to move the same when in registering position with the holdersfor forcing the apples out of the holders while cutting the same.

7. A machine of the class described comprising an endless feeder forcored apples, an endless conveyer having an upwardly traveling portionadjacent the feeder, cuplike holders spaced apart on the conveyer,cutting means at the bottom of each holder, means for driving theconveyer in timed relation to the feeder, whereby apples from the feederdrop into the cups successively, traveling plungers movable over theconveyer in such relation as to periodically register with the holders,means for supporting the plungers to reciprocate, acam device acting onthe plungers to move the same when in registering position with theholders for forcing the apples out of the holders while cutting thesame, and a plurality of traveling tanks movable in timed relation withthe conveyer, whereby the holders enter the tanks and cause the applesto adjust themselves with their core passages upright before theplungers are reached.

CHARLES KIRINO.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington,D. G.

